A secret internal database belonging to the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate ‘Aman’ reveals a starkly different picture from the official narrative promoted by the Israeli army and government regarding casualties in the Gaza Strip. While Tel Aviv insists that most martyrs are from Palestinian resistance factions, ‘Aman’ data shows that an overwhelming majority of victims—83% of total martyrs—are civilians. According to a joint investigative report by The Guardian, the Israeli site Secha Mekomit, and the electronic magazine 972, these data, considered the most accurate and reliable source within the Israeli army, indicate that the number of fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad killed by mid-May 2025 does not exceed 8,900. This data is the sole official reference within the army for estimating fighter numbers, making the gap between it and the official Israeli discourse highly significant.

By mid-May 2025, the Israeli military intelligence database recorded 7,330 Hamas and Islamic Jihad members killed, plus 1,570 probable fighters, totaling 8,900. Compared to Gaza’s Ministry of Health statistics, which recorded 52,928 martyrs in the same period, fighters represent only 17% of total martyrs, with civilians accounting for 83%. Excluding probable fighters lowers the fighters’ share to about 14%, raising civilians’ share to 86%. Estimates also indicate about 10,000 bodies buried under rubble and thousands missing, with many bodies burned beyond recognition. These figures mean that 5 out of every 6 martyrs in Gaza are civilians, contradicting Israeli military and political claims that inflate resistance fighters’ numbers to justify the scale of destruction and casualties before local and international public opinion. The leaked data also contradicts statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials who claimed tens of thousands of resistance fighters were killed.

Analysts view the inflation of resistance fighters’ numbers as an attempt to mask the war’s failure and the heavy civilian toll. The gap between the internal military data and the official narrative reflects a deepening credibility crisis both internationally and within Israel itself.